Rope-making machine.



H. PERSONETT.

ROPE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB.10, 1909.

939,308. V Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

QM m

ANDREW. u. GRAHAM c0 Pwmwumosmvuzas, msuma'rou, u. c.

H.- PERSONETT.

' ROPE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1909.

939,308, Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Quoemtoz attomwlzo HOMER PERSONETT, OF ATWOOD, ILLINOIS.

ROPE-MAKING- MACI-III\TE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

Application filed February 10, 1909. Serial No. 477,046.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HoMERPERsoNE'rT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atwood, in the county of Piatt and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Rope-Making Machine; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in rope making machines and comprises a simple machine provided with means for twisting individual rope strands and for forming out of the individual rope strands a single r0 e.

lime of the objects of the invention is the production of a rope making machine for separately twisting the individual strands used in forming a completed rope and for effectively uniting the separate individual strands into a completed rope, the machine being so arranged that the individual strands may be united into a completed rope by a twisting opposite to the twisting movement used in twisting the individual strands.

Another object of the invention is the production of means for holding the rope strands under varying tension adapted to support a part of the strand ends during the twisting of the same.

Another object of the invention is the production of a rope making machine having a flexibly supported device for holding the rope under varying tension.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations, arrangements and constructions of parts, fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved rope making machine with centain parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing the gear mechanism for tw sting the rope strands. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 4- 1 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 5 is a detail view of a spring connection. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the device showing the position of the rope while being twisted.

In the accompanying drawings, which are illustrative of one form of the invention and are accordingly not drawn to scale the base of the machine is designated by 1 and the supporting standards by 2 and 3, said standards being located on the opposite ends of the base 1. On the upper ends of the standards 2 and 8 a top piece 4 is securely mounted so as to rigidly hold the standards in vertical positions.

The standard 2 is provided on its upper end with laterally extending arms 5 and 6 which give to said standard a T-shaped appearance. Secured on the inner sides of the arms 5 and 6 are bearing plates 7, and a T-shaped bearing plate 8 is secured to the outer sides of the arms and to the standard 2. Below the plane of the arms 5 and 6 a pair of spaced bearing plates 9 and 10 are secured to the inner side of the standard 2. A shaft 11 extends horizontally through the bearing plates 8 and 9 and is formed on its inner end with a loop adapted to receive a strand end. A main drive sprocket or gear 12 is mounted on the outer end of the shaft 11, and an operating crank 13 is suitably keyed to said outer end. Should it be desired, the crank and the shaft may be formed integral. A driven shaft 14 having its inner end looped for the reception of a connecting hook extends through the bearing plates 8 and 10 and has keyed to its outer end a sprocket or gear 15. A shaft 16 extends through the arm 6 and is formed on its inner end with a loop for the reception of a strand connecting hook, and on its outer end is provided with a sprocket wheel or gear 17. A shaft 18 having a loop formed on its inner end extends through the arm 5 and is provided on its outer end with a sprocket wheel 19. The sprocket wheels 15, 17 and 19 are connected together and to the drive sprocket 12 by an endless drive chain 20, which is adapted to engage with the lower portions of the drive sprocket 12, with the upper portions of the driven sprockets 17 and 19 and with the lower portion of the driven sprocket 15. In other words, the upper portion of the drive chain 20 is passed under the drive sprocket 12 and over the sprockets 17 and 19 while the lower portion of said chain is passed under the sprocket 15, whereby the driven sprockets 15, 17 and longitudinally extending groove 21 and with V s transverse, spaced openings 22 and 23, which are located on the standard in communication with the opposite ends of the groove 21. In the opening 22 a roller 24 is rotatably secured and in the opening 23 a second roller 25 is rotatably secured, both rollers being adapted to effectively guide a rope 26 which is adapted to move in the groove 21 and through the openings 22 and 23. To the inner end of the rope 26 a block 27 is connected, said block being provided with a spring guide 28 securely mounted thereon. A spring 29 slidably arranged on the guide 28 is adjustablv connected at one end of the block 27 by staples 30 and is adjustably connected at its other end by similar staples to a rope supporting guide 31, which is preferably formed T-shaped on its upper end. The rope 26 extends forwardly of the rear standard and passes slidably through an opening 32 in the lower end of the guide 31, so as to flexibly support the same when said rope is drawn taut, and passes over a roller 33 rotatably secured in an opening 34 located on the lower end of the standard 2. In order to hold the rope 26 under fixed tension, a plate 35 having an outwardly bent upper portion 36 is securely fixed to the inner side of standard 2, whereby the rope may be wedged against said standard.

The arms 3'7 and 38 of the supporting guide 31 are each provided with a forwardly extending screw eyelet or staple, adapted to detachably hold a strand connecting hook 40, and the guide proper is provided with a similar staple, all of the staples or eyelets being arranged to occupy positions on a vplane with the driven shafts 14, 16 and 18.

Secured on the guide 31 is a staple 41 adapted to occupy a position directly opposite to that of the drive shaft. On the lower end of the standard 2 a pair of inwardly projecting bolts 42 are arranged whereby the strand ends may be securely held, and on the central part of the inner side of the standard a second set of bolts are secured, while the rear standard 3 is provided with a double pair of strand securing bolts arranged on the opposite ends thereof.

In the operation of the machine three rope strands are first secured to the looped ends of the driven shafts by connecting hooks at their forward ends and secured at their rear ends by suitable connecting hooks to the staples of the cross arms of the guide and to the lower staple thereof. hen so secured the rope supporting guide is placed under tension by tightening the rope 26 and the drive sprocket 12 is driven in the proper direction so as to simultaneously twist the three rope strands, the tightening rope 26 being suitably manipulated in the meantime so as to vary the tension of the strands. When the twisting operation of the strands has been completed, the connecting hooks are removed from the spaced staples and connected at their rear ends to the staple 41 and at their forward ends connected to the looped end of the drive shaft 11. When thus connected the drive shaft is turned, in the same direction as during the first step, so as to twist the separate rope strands upon each other in a direction opposite to that of the twists of these strands, thereby producing a strong and practical rope.

Having described my invention I desire to secure by Letters-Patent:-

1. In combination with supports securely spaced apart, means for detachably holding separate rope strands, means for twisting the separate rope strands in a common direction, means for connecting the rope strands to the holding means, twisting means, whereby the separate strands may be twisted upon themselves in an opposite direction to the first twisting, a rope connected to the holding means adapted to flexibly support the same, means for guiding the rope on the supports and means for holding the rope under fixed tension.

2. In combination, rigid supports, a rope movable on the supports, a rope supporting guide connected with one end of the rope and supported slidably thereon, hooks detachably secured at spaced points to the guide, shafts formed with looped ends secured on one of the supports at correspondingly spaced points, a drive shaft rotatably mounted on said support intermediately of the shaft, means for connect-ing the shafts to the drive shaft, hooks detachably connected to the shafts and means for holding the rope under fixed tension.

3. In combination, rigid supports, a drive shaft rotatable on one of the supports spaced driven shafts rotatable on said support, sprockets mounted on the outer ends of said shafts, loops formed on the inner ends of the shafts, means for connecting the drive 7 to the driven shafts whereby the driven shafts are driven in a common direction and oppositely to that of the drive shaft, hooks detachably connected with the shaft loops,

a rope movable on the supports, rollers arranged on the supports for guiding the rope, a block connected to one end of the rope, a

spring guide connected to the block, a spring rollers secured in the openings, a rope mov- I I able in the groove and over the rollers, a T-shaped rope supporting guide slidably supported on the rope, a spring for connecting the rear end of the rope and the guide, hooks detachably arranged on the arms of the T-shaped guide and on said guide proper, shafts extending through the arms of the T-shaped support, a shaft eX- tending through the lower portion of said support, a drive shaft extending through the support last named, sprockets mounted on the outer ends of all the shafts, a sprocket chain for connecting the sprockets, hooks arranged on the inner ends of the shafts, and means secured to the T-shaped standard for holding the rope under fixed tension.

5. A rope making machine of the class described having a rigid frame, one of the end pieces of said frame being T-shaped, a movable T-shaped post arranged opposite thereof, means mounted on said T-shaped members for supporting a rope, means for twisting said rope, a spring connected with said movable post, and a flexible support connected with said spring.

6. The combination of a pair of opposed T-shaped posts, means on said posts for supporting a rope, means for twisting said rope, one of said posts having an aperture in the lower end thereof, a flexible guide mounted in said aperture, a spring connected with said movable post and with said flexible guide, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a pair of opposed T-shaped posts, means on said posts for supporting a rope, means for twisting said rope, one of said posts having an aperture in the lower end thereof, a flexible guide mounted in said aperture, a spring connected with said movable posts and with said flexible guide, and a clamp mounted on the rigid posts for holding said flexible guide against accidental release.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOMER PERSONETT.

Witnesses:

PAGE PRoo'rAR, MYRON PERSONETT. 

